The long term objective is to assess the biological activity, metabolism and teratogenicity of some naturally-occurring and synthetic water-soluble derivatives of vitamin A. Specific aims are: 1) to synthesize radioactivity labeled retinoyl beta-glucuronide, retinyl beta-glucuronide, retinyl beta-glucose and several other water-soluble analogs, 2) to ascertain how these water-soluble analogs are metabolized, 3) to determine their biological activity and physiologically active forms in growth and in cellular differentiation, and 4) to measure their teratogenicity in golden hamsters and their cytoxicity towards selected cell lines in tissue culture. The planned studies have direct relevance to vitamin A utilization in disorders of lipid absorption, e.g., cholestasis, to the treatment of skin disorders and possibly to the chemoprevention of recurrent neoplasms.